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An achromatic combination of lenses is formed by joining

Asked in CBSE AIPMT 1995 · Dispersion and scattering

Answer: (3) 1 convex, 1 concave lens

Step-by-step solution

Idea: a lens's power depends on (μ-1), and μ differs from colour to colour, so one lens alone focuses violet and red at different points.

That colour error can only be removed if a second element carries an error of the opposite sign.

A converging lens and a diverging lens have powers of opposite sign, so their colour errors can be made to cancel while a net power survives.

Choosing the dispersive powers so that (ω₁)/(f₁)+(ω₂)/(f₂)=0 removes the spread.

So an achromatic combination is 1 convex and 1 concave lens.

Why the other options are wrong

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